Criminal Justice Job Description

Submitted by Samuel Homes on Thursday, Mar 20th, 2014

You may just now be entering a criminal justice degree program, or are soon to graduate, but either way you might be wondering exactly what is the criminal justice job description. CJ majors find great satisfaction in a variety of fields, and determining what you are best suited for when it’s time to hunt for a job is crucial to your mental health and happiness quotient when you reach the real world and start making a difference. (*)

Criminal Justice Job Description
The primary focus of a criminal justice major is to work within some arena of the criminal justice system. This may mean finding a position within the community as a police officer, where you will interact every day with the community to keep your neighbors safe. You may be involved with the apprehension of criminals, or assigned patrol duty in a cruiser unit. You may be tasked with traffic control, or assigned to a local school as a resource officer. Any way you look at it, you will be working hands on with your neighbors to build a better living space.

You may instead decide that you wish to work within the corrections field as a corrections officer for a jail of prison. This job entails keeping those who should be incarcerated remain where they are in order to serve their sentences. You are also a liaison between inmates and administration, being the face that both sides see every day. This job may lead to other career paths, though many have made a satisfying career within the system where they are.

Furthering Your Degree for More Job Opportunities
As a criminal justice job description with a higher degree suggests, the more education a person has in the field, the more opportunities appear. Someone with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice may expect to rise steadily in the ranks of a police department with continued certifications, or decide they want to apply to be a state trooper and serve the state in general. Those in the corrections fields my decide to move away from the corrections officer post and apply for administrative positions

Those that move even further into a master’s program in criminal justice can expect to be credentialed to teach CJ course at colleges and universities, spreading their vast wealth of knowledge with the next generation.

Are you ready to pursue a criminal justice career? Get information on programs in your area and online using our criminal justice degree finder at the top of this page. ↑